In a great step towards improving road safety, India witness the launch of its very own Bharat New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). With this, it will become the fifth country to have an indigenous vehicle crash test rating assessment. As per an official statement by Ministry of Road Transport and Highway, “The programme aims to provide a tool to the car customers to make a comparative assessment of crash safety of motor vehicles available in the market.”
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Bharat NCAP On Par with Global Standards
The eagerly awaited Bharat NCAP initiative will launch tomorrow. The programme looks all set to revolutionize the nation’s approach to vehicle safety. It will, in fact, align India with a select group of countries globally that boast their own crash test programmes. The Bharat NCAP should play an instrumental role in improving the road safety standards for vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tonnes. This comprehensive scheme will significantly bolster the safety quotient of automobiles on sale in the country.
Under the Bharat NCAP, car manufacturers will have the voluntary opportunity to submit their vehicles for testing in accordance with the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) 197. The performance of these vehicles during testing will be given star ratings for both Adult Occupants (AOP) and Child Occupants (COP).
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Global Protocol Alignment for Accurate Ratings:
To ensure that the Bharat NCAP’s ratings hold international credibility, the testing protocol aligns with global crash test standards. This strategic alignment translates to a star rating system ranging from 1 to 5. The rating is a reflection of vehicle’s performance in aspects like structural integrity, pedestrian safety, active and passive safety technologies, and protection for both adult and child occupants.
Bharat NCAP covered vehicle with seating capacity of up to eight, excluding the driver, and boasting a gross weight below 3.5 tonnes. It covers vehicles that are domestically manufactured as well as the ones that are imported. It even includes EVs and cars that run on CNG.
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What We Think
The implementation of Bharat NCAP should ensure a safer domestic car market. Not just this, it even empowers local carmakers to offer vehicles with safety standard at par with those sold globally It even ensures that carmakers would no longer need to ship their vehicles abroad for testing purposes. The launch of the Bharat NCAP is a decisive step towards cultivating a safer automotive landscape. It should push car manufacturers to give safety a high priority.
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